Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 18:19     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My next door neighbor is a teacher at Weller Rd. Distance learning has been a struggle. Out of her class is 18, she said she was lucky if 5 kids logged on. They got the kids chrome books and hot spots. They send home information in Spanish how to log in. What they didn’t count on was the adults in the home not being able to read Spanish.


Interesting that they didn't count on that. It's a well-known issue that many in the Latinx population do not have literacy in Spanish and may not speak Spanish at all (they speak indigenous languages). That's part of why the term "Hispanic" is often not accurate, since it means Spanish-speaking and therefore excludes people who speak indigenous languages as well as Portuguese and French.


That's not what the pp meant. She means they don't know how to read-at all. In any language. A known problem in poorer communities as a whole and even more so for families who recently immigrated from very poor countries.

I grew up in an area such as that and the high school I attended offered free English classes for parents of students in the school district. They were always full.


I mean that's exactly what I meant. They don't have literacy in Spanish (as opposed to having literacy in Spanish, which is the language the information was sent in).


Also, some indigenous peoples "don't know how to read" because writing in those languages was prohibited by Spanish colonizers (my ancestors).


And schooling is not accessible for many reasons, kids only go for a few years. I will say that the vast majority of hispanic/indigenous/latinos in this area do speak Spanish. Unfortunately, for many reasons, some complex, people are uneducated (like my parents). Some come because they want better for their kids but they are unable to help.

Its nice to read that some districts offer free English classes for parents.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 18:12     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:I’m familiar with Weller Road.

It’s 83% Hispanic, 7% Black, and less than 5% white. It’s not a diverse school; it’s a school where nearly the entire student body and staff speak Spanish. I can’t think of another school like it.

How do I know it? I grew up nearby and still cut through the neighborhood when visiting my parents.

And—here’s the kicker—my neighbor’s Latina nanny lives in that school district and uses her employer’s (my neighbor’s) address to send her kids to school in our area. Why? Her words: “Because I don’t want my kids going to a Spanish school. I want them to be around other kids.”

I’m curious where you’re renting, OP? Have you researched the local area at all?

BTW, it’s literally the COVID hot spot: 20906.



Um...that's because of the multitude of nursing homes and rehab hospitals in 20906. BTW, the numbers of new positive has slowed way down the past three weeks.

If you have questions, I’m happy to answer.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 18:08     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:School is Weller Road




What did you hear, exactly?
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 17:56     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP any ES school you attend in MD is going to be a 200% improvement on any public ES in the whole of CA.

I know, my kids attended in the top Santa Monica / Malibu district schools for early ES and we moved here for 3rd grade.

Its a whole universe away from that over here. Not least because the taxes spent per kid in the schools are approximately $20,000 instead of just $5k like in CA




Do some people take a pledge of loyalty or something? "I solemnly swear I will acknowledge no overcrowding and underperforming and incapability to identify a reasonable curriculum. I will insist all of our problems are not similar to the problems of other school districts but insist ours our gold-plated and smell like unicorn farts..."



You're an idiot. In CA in the "top" ES there was no science curriculum, no PE teachers - so no PE. the school "foundation" had to raise money for these and for an art teacher who turned up once month in each classroom for an hour. ONCE PER MONTH. Dont' even ask about music education. None. Only after school classes you pay for.


Maybe. But I'm a idiot who is smarter than assuming just because i lived in whitest Malibu my schools reflect the best the state has to offer. Maybe you should have tried Palo Alto, a school district which is significantly better on general metrics than MoCo.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 17:42     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP any ES school you attend in MD is going to be a 200% improvement on any public ES in the whole of CA.

I know, my kids attended in the top Santa Monica / Malibu district schools for early ES and we moved here for 3rd grade.

Its a whole universe away from that over here. Not least because the taxes spent per kid in the schools are approximately $20,000 instead of just $5k like in CA




Do some people take a pledge of loyalty or something? "I solemnly swear I will acknowledge no overcrowding and underperforming and incapability to identify a reasonable curriculum. I will insist all of our problems are not similar to the problems of other school districts but insist ours our gold-plated and smell like unicorn farts..."



You're an idiot. In CA in the "top" ES there was no science curriculum, no PE teachers - so no PE. the school "foundation" had to raise money for these and for an art teacher who turned up once month in each classroom for an hour. ONCE PER MONTH. Dont' even ask about music education. None. Only after school classes you pay for.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 17:27     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:OP any ES school you attend in MD is going to be a 200% improvement on any public ES in the whole of CA.

I know, my kids attended in the top Santa Monica / Malibu district schools for early ES and we moved here for 3rd grade.

Its a whole universe away from that over here. Not least because the taxes spent per kid in the schools are approximately $20,000 instead of just $5k like in CA




Do some people take a pledge of loyalty or something? "I solemnly swear I will acknowledge no overcrowding and underperforming and incapability to identify a reasonable curriculum. I will insist all of our problems are not similar to the problems of other school districts but insist ours our gold-plated and smell like unicorn farts..."

Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 16:12     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My next door neighbor is a teacher at Weller Rd. Distance learning has been a struggle. Out of her class is 18, she said she was lucky if 5 kids logged on. They got the kids chrome books and hot spots. They send home information in Spanish how to log in. What they didn’t count on was the adults in the home not being able to read Spanish.


Interesting that they didn't count on that. It's a well-known issue that many in the Latinx population do not have literacy in Spanish and may not speak Spanish at all (they speak indigenous languages). That's part of why the term "Hispanic" is often not accurate, since it means Spanish-speaking and therefore excludes people who speak indigenous languages as well as Portuguese and French.


That's not what the pp meant. She means they don't know how to read-at all. In any language. A known problem in poorer communities as a whole and even more so for families who recently immigrated from very poor countries.

I grew up in an area such as that and the high school I attended offered free English classes for parents of students in the school district. They were always full.


I mean that's exactly what I meant. They don't have literacy in Spanish (as opposed to having literacy in Spanish, which is the language the information was sent in).


Also, some indigenous peoples "don't know how to read" because writing in those languages was prohibited by Spanish colonizers (my ancestors).
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 16:07     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My next door neighbor is a teacher at Weller Rd. Distance learning has been a struggle. Out of her class is 18, she said she was lucky if 5 kids logged on. They got the kids chrome books and hot spots. They send home information in Spanish how to log in. What they didn’t count on was the adults in the home not being able to read Spanish.


Interesting that they didn't count on that. It's a well-known issue that many in the Latinx population do not have literacy in Spanish and may not speak Spanish at all (they speak indigenous languages). That's part of why the term "Hispanic" is often not accurate, since it means Spanish-speaking and therefore excludes people who speak indigenous languages as well as Portuguese and French.


That's not what the pp meant. She means they don't know how to read-at all. In any language. A known problem in poorer communities as a whole and even more so for families who recently immigrated from very poor countries.

I grew up in an area such as that and the high school I attended offered free English classes for parents of students in the school district. They were always full.


I mean that's exactly what I meant. They don't have literacy in Spanish (as opposed to having literacy in Spanish, which is the language the information was sent in).
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 15:26     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Wow, not what I was expecting when I clicked this thread.

I teach at Weller Road. I had all of my students eventually get online for distance learning. There were a lot of issues because we ran out of chromebooks to distribute, and hotspots for wifi, and had to get more, which was a ridiculous process. Also, we had many students with both parents still working, so they ended up with babysitters who were juggling multiple students. Technology was difficult for everyone, even with my own children.

I had a few, but not that many, parents unable to read any language. The bigger problems were parents who had not gone to school in the US and came from cultures that treated parents differently in school. For example, in some countries, especially in central America, teachers are the boss and parents are not welcome to "interfere." The school is majority Hispanic and there are very few white students. High ESOL, but ESOL does not mean "speaks no English." I've had many students that I was surprised were still in ESOL.

We have a high allocation for ESOL and special ed teachers, so lots of supports and co-teaching. We also have an elementary talent coach, who works with enrichment for high students in the primary grades. Classes are small, like 14-17 students each. Before distance learning, I met with every student for guided reading every day.

Is it perfect? No. The students face many challenges. But they work hard. Their parents are mostly as involved as their situation allows. Bullying is an issue in the way that it seems to be in most schools. Isolated incidents that are dealt with, but I dont see a widespread culture of it. OP, if you are moving from CA for work and renting only for a year out of convenience, (rather than out of necessity) then you will likely find that your children are different than the typical WR student. But that doesnt mean they won't have any friends or be able to form meaningful relationships during this experience.

As far as options for different schools.. the immersion lottery has already happened. If your DC is entering 4th grade, testing for the Center for Enriched Studies happened in February, but it's possible to inquire about testing over the summer. The best scenario would be getting into the wait pool, but the wait pool is not a list. Students are pulled from it at random, so your DC would have as equal a shot as any other student admitted to the pool.

Finally, it's interesting that everyone assumes OP is white.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 15:02     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My next door neighbor is a teacher at Weller Rd. Distance learning has been a struggle. Out of her class is 18, she said she was lucky if 5 kids logged on. They got the kids chrome books and hot spots. They send home information in Spanish how to log in. What they didn’t count on was the adults in the home not being able to read Spanish.


Interesting that they didn't count on that. It's a well-known issue that many in the Latinx population do not have literacy in Spanish and may not speak Spanish at all (they speak indigenous languages). That's part of why the term "Hispanic" is often not accurate, since it means Spanish-speaking and therefore excludes people who speak indigenous languages as well as Portuguese and French.


That's not what the pp meant. She means they don't know how to read-at all. In any language. A known problem in poorer communities as a whole and even more so for families who recently immigrated from very poor countries.

I grew up in an area such as that and the high school I attended offered free English classes for parents of students in the school district. They were always full.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 14:51     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:My next door neighbor is a teacher at Weller Rd. Distance learning has been a struggle. Out of her class is 18, she said she was lucky if 5 kids logged on. They got the kids chrome books and hot spots. They send home information in Spanish how to log in. What they didn’t count on was the adults in the home not being able to read Spanish.


Interesting that they didn't count on that. It's a well-known issue that many in the Latinx population do not have literacy in Spanish and may not speak Spanish at all (they speak indigenous languages). That's part of why the term "Hispanic" is often not accurate, since it means Spanish-speaking and therefore excludes people who speak indigenous languages as well as Portuguese and French.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 14:39     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
My next door neighbor is a teacher at Weller Rd. Distance learning has been a struggle. Out of her class is 18, she said she was lucky if 5 kids logged on. They got the kids chrome books and hot spots. They send home information in Spanish how to log in. What they didn’t count on was the adults in the home not being able to read Spanish.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 14:32     Subject: Re:Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
You can quibble with the conclusions drawn, but the demographic information is probably straight from the county: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/re.../currentyear/schools/02777.pdf


Not the PP, but again "Our assigned school has too many brown kids" is not one of the boxes you can check on the COSA.


I am the PP. I'm not commenting on the COSA process at all, as I have no experience with it. I'm just pointing out that a lot of demographic information about county schools need not be left to speculation.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 14:26     Subject: Re:Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
You can quibble with the conclusions drawn, but the demographic information is probably straight from the county: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/re.../currentyear/schools/02777.pdf


Not the PP, but again "Our assigned school has too many brown kids" is not one of the boxes you can check on the COSA.
Anonymous
Post 06/29/2020 13:56     Subject: Is there a way to get my son into a school other than our assigned ES?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m familiar with Weller Road.

It’s 83% Hispanic, 7% Black, and less than 5% white. It’s not a diverse school; it’s a school where nearly the entire student body and staff speak Spanish. I can’t think of another school like it.

How do I know it? I grew up nearby and still cut through the neighborhood when visiting my parents.

And—here’s the kicker—my neighbor’s Latina nanny lives in that school district and uses her employer’s (my neighbor’s) address to send her kids to school in our area. Why? Her words: “Because I don’t want my kids going to a Spanish school. I want them to be around other kids.”

I’m curious where you’re renting, OP? Have you researched the local area at all?

BTW, it’s literally the COVID hot spot: 20906.

If you have questions, I’m happy to answer.


Lol, "I grew up nearby" now means you know a school really well? Let me tell you all about Woodfield ES. I attended there 35 years ago. There's a really mean kindergarten teacher that tells at kids who won't go to sleep during naptime. Did you even actually go to Weller Road?

20906 had the most cases of COVID in Maryland early on. Its also the most populous zip code in Maryland. The rate of COVID wasn't any higher than most places--I think we all know that higher density areas are going to have more cases.

I find it sad, but predictable, that your neighbor's nanny (wow, there's a close connection to you--I'm sure you had many deep conversations with her about this and why she doesn't send them to WRES) doesnt want her kids attending a majority Hispanic school. I see similar thoughts in some of my Hispanic family members. They believe that the "white schools" get more because they know that most people hate Hispanic people like them. And since Hispanic parents are so focused on education--many risked life and limb to get their kids to this country for the purpose of education--they're trying to put them where they believe is "the best" education. Which society tells them is white.


You can quibble with the conclusions drawn, but the demographic information is probably straight from the county: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02777.pdf